Page 119 of Family Affair

Chapter 27

Cade’s inquiries must have produced little because he hadn’t shown up or called for several days.

As another boring, uneventful day slowly turned into a boring, uneventful night, Coco lay curled up on the couch watching a rerun of an old show, sleepy and cozy in her pink robe.

A soft knock on the door brought her to a full alert.

She ran up to the door but stopped abruptly, the Sheffield-induced paranoia kicking in. “Who is it?”

A quiet laugh reached her through the door. “It’s me.”

“Me who?”

“Me, Cade.”

“What do you want?”

“For you to open the damn door!”

Smiling, she unlocked it to let him in.

In the dim lighting he looked scruffy and rough around the edges. And big. And sexy as hell.

She quickly stepped back, self-conscious about the robe, not because it revealed any part of her body but because of the history the robe contained.

Cade gave her attire a sweeping look. “Is it too late? I can come back tomorrow.”

She should tell him to do so, to hint that calling in advance wouldn’t be inappropriate. They weren’t involved.

“No, that’s okay.” She wanted him to stay so badly.

He gave her a brief smile that looked wolfish on his unshaven face. “It won’t take long.”

“What is it? Something important?” He wouldn’t have come if he had nothing to say, no matter how hard she wished otherwise.

He went to stand at the window. His broad silhouette dominated the small room. Gripping the robe’s lapels in tight fists, Coco used the opportunity to observe him while he looked away.

Even from the back he was attractive. Lacking Ross’s perfection or Dan’s cocky self-assurance, he drew her like a magnet with his… something. Sexiness? Maleness? What did you call those waves of pure energy that he gave off even standing still, like now? Charisma? Was that it?

“I wanted to tell you about Williamson’s observant neighbor.”

She snapped to attention. “You’ve met him?”

“I knew him from before.” He turned to face her and lowered his bottom on the windowsill, crossing his arms and splaying his legs wide in that unsubtly dominant position males assumed without giving it much thought.

She fought to keep her eyes away from the jeans that molded to his firm thighs when he sat down, and from the belt buckle above his fly.

“Mr. Virgil Woodcock – and no, I didn’t just make the name up – has lived next door to Ward since the dawn of time. I remember him from when I was a kid. He used to call Ward “son” and we, the boys, found it hilarious. The guy must be ninety now if he’s a day.”

“Good Lord, he must have exceptional eyesight. Not to mention nothing better to do.”

Cade shrugged. “He’s lonely. As for the eyesight, he’s an amateur astronomer and owns five high power telescopes.” He splayed his fingers wide to indicate the number. “Coincidentally, they aren’t trained on the stars but on the neighboring houses. Can’t say I blame him. Checking out the neighbors must be a whole lot more entertaining than staring at white dots in the sky.” Cade’s mouth tilted up at one corner in a sad smile. “I wonder if Ward knew Virgil was spying on him. I can see him putting on some kinky show to mess with the old busybody.”

“Reverend Williamson? The man of church?”

“He was such a hoot.”

Coco let go of the robe and rubbed her forehead. “But I never came to Williamson’s house. There is no way the old neighbor saw me, not even with a telescope.”